The Meaning Behind the Name
There are few things more powerful than the deep fellowship of believers actively pursuing Christ in their lives. I’ve seen this firsthand where relationships are changed, lives reversed, and whole communities strengthened when believers begin to walk through life together intentionally living and speaking the Gospel message. This is koinonia lived out.
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, koinonia is defined as “the Christian fellowship or body of believers”. Koinonia is derived from the Greek term koinonos, meaning companion. While many Christians translate koinonia to mean fellowship, it is actually far more involved and intimate than that. Here are some verses from the Bible that include the Greek word koinonia:
Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship (koinonia) of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation (koinonia) in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation (koinonia) in the body of Christ?
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship (koinonia) of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship (koinonia) with us; and indeed our fellowship (koinonia) is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:6-7 6 If we say we have fellowship (koinonia) with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship (koinonia) with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
If you take a look, you’ll see that these verses are all from the New Testament, and actually koinonia only occurs in the New Testament because it is based on the community and fellowship of the Christian church which centers on the Gospel of Jesus. This koinonia is not only us communing with each other but communing with each other within the power and understanding of the gospel. This koinonia is walking through the highs and lows of life with brothers and sisters in Christ who will always turn you back to Him. This koinonia is leaning solely on Christ through every trial. This koinonia is God calling us to community, but not just any community, community-based and relying completely on Him. Throughout the Bible, God calls his people to live apart from the world as aliens and exiles (ex. 1 Peter 2:11, Philippians 3:20). This is a common motif in scripture, and one that I am sure has been sorely felt in the events of this year with COVID-19. It is easy to feel isolated physically, and for thousands of years, Christians have also been socially exiled as we live lives different from the desires and expectations of the world (John 15:19). While it could be easy to look at that picture and feel desolate, there is such joy when we realize that God created koinonia for times such as this. God called us to be set apart, but he never called us to be lonely. This community that we are called to is one of light and love. It is based on the only true rock and foundation: God.
So why does this matter?
This matters because this is how the Church is intended to be. We are meant to draw close together in participation in the Gospel. The important thing is not that we just meet with other believers, it is that we authentically share our lives with Him and with His people. The Church is intended to be rooted in Christ alone, but this can only be done through believers having fellowship with the Father and also fellowship and participation with their fellow believers. Additionally, there should be unity within the Church. Unity in purpose, in action, and in belief. Galatians 2:9 says “and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship (koinonia) to Barnabas and me…”. This was a hard verse for me to understand the first time I read it. Extending this “right hand of fellowship” is the equivalent of a modern-day handshake of agreement. This is essentially saying that James, Cephas, and John were in agreement with Paul about their purpose and mission. Our mission as Christians is part of koinonia. Our mission is to love God and make Him known to all people. This is something the Church should be striving to do together in the unity of Christ.
Koinonia isn't easy. It takes personal work on our relationships with God. It takes work on how we form friendships and relationships with other believers. It can be hard to make sure we are putting in the intentional time to fellowship with other Christians. But oh how rewarding it is. This is how we were meant to do life as believers. We were never designed to do life alone. Humanity was created for intimate relationship not only with the Father but also with his greatest creation- humanity. On this blog, we want to help you learn how to practically live out this calling by helping you develop koinonia with God, giving you Biblical life applications for koinonia with others, and helping you along in your faith journey in any way we can. We aren’t here to replace fellowship in your local context, but we will practice alongside you with common goals and equip you with Scripture every step of the way.